links in new window, break up paragraph

Author: bishabosha

blog/_posts/2025-11-26-scaladays-2025-review-video-announcement.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ by: Darja Jovanovic, Scala Center
 title: "Scala Days 2025: Conference Highlights and Talk Recordings"
 ---
 
-This summer, the Scala Center celebrated 15 years of Scala Days, returning this August to its birthplace: Lausanne, Switzerland. **The recordings of all the talks are now available** on the [Scala Days YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/c/ScalaDaysConferences), and with that, here are some closing remarks, and a look ahead to the future.
+This summer, the Scala Center celebrated 15 years of Scala Days, returning this August to its birthplace: Lausanne, Switzerland. **The recordings of all the talks are now available** on the [Scala Days YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/c/ScalaDaysConferences){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"}, and with that, here are some closing remarks, and a look ahead to the future.
 
 The theme Functional Programming And The Real World attracted 57 excellent talks, and with 5 workshops, 27 sponsors, around 300 attendees, including several co-located events, the town was buzzing with Scala energy. We heard that in a bar far from the conference center, a local bartender proudly welcomed Scala enthusiasts after spotting the logo on their T-shirts and, to everyone’s delight, replied:
 
@@ -26,18 +26,21 @@ We thank you all ♥️
 
 ## All Talks Now on YouTube 🎥
 
-We knew choosing between four parallel tracks would be tough — and that’s exactly the feedback we heard throughout the week\! Good news: **all talks and keynotes are now available on the** [Scala Days YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/c/ScalaDaysConferences). Relive the insights, learn something new, or discover what you missed.
+We knew choosing between four parallel tracks would be tough — and that’s exactly the feedback we heard throughout the week\! Good news: **all talks and keynotes are now available on the** [Scala Days YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/c/ScalaDaysConferences){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"}. Relive the insights, learn something new, or discover what you missed.
 
-🎯 [**Panorama Track**](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMLOC3WM2r6jZ_67FgmnOQhW_hA2RsJW&si=BJ2R2x2YYCiiAa21) – a grand tour of the Scala ecosystem: language evolution, tooling innovation, and community discussions.
-🏢 [**Industry Track**](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMLOC3WM2r7Y5QWDJU-f1meaJYZrSpXg&si=IBjRq4MlJxp7DsNc) – real-world stories from teams running Scala at scale, exploring lessons learned and business impact.
-💡 [**Developer Experience Track**](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMLOC3WM2r5-8J6PYZIfPRKMEek8INzQ&si=WBoTYhFqiab5ixZJ) – deep dives into tooling, productivity, and how to get more out of your daily Scala flow.
-🎨 [**Creative & Mix Track**](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMLOC3WM2r6DiGbvDIW49P25VhkGp1VV&si=W5mc1EcjhnV7H3s5) – a vibrant mix of technical talks, playful experiments, and unexpected ways Scala shows up in life and work.
+🎯 [**Panorama Track**](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMLOC3WM2r6jZ_67FgmnOQhW_hA2RsJW&si=BJ2R2x2YYCiiAa21){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} – a grand tour of the Scala ecosystem: language evolution, tooling innovation, and community discussions.
+
+🏢 [**Industry Track**](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMLOC3WM2r7Y5QWDJU-f1meaJYZrSpXg&si=IBjRq4MlJxp7DsNc){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} – real-world stories from teams running Scala at scale, exploring lessons learned and business impact.
+
+💡 [**Developer Experience Track**](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMLOC3WM2r5-8J6PYZIfPRKMEek8INzQ&si=WBoTYhFqiab5ixZJ){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} – deep dives into tooling, productivity, and how to get more out of your daily Scala flow.
+
+🎨 [**Creative & Mix Track**](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMLOC3WM2r6DiGbvDIW49P25VhkGp1VV&si=W5mc1EcjhnV7H3s5){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} – a vibrant mix of technical talks, playful experiments, and unexpected ways Scala shows up in life and work.
 
 ## Building Trust: Inclusion, Safety, and Community
 
 At the Scala organization, we aim to build trust in Scala as an open source software project by providing regular releases, clear governance and open processes. Beyond the codebase we work to cultivate trust by making Scala Days a welcoming and inclusive space where community members can learn, share, and engage professionally in a safe environment. This year’s conference strengthened this commitment by focusing further on these key areas:
 
-**Safe environment** An updated [Code of Conduct](https://archives.scaladays.org/2025/code-of-conduct.html) and on-site expert support team were available throughout the event, and many attendees took the opportunity to learn more about these resources. Organizers and volunteers trained in advance, speakers received dedicated briefings, and all attendees were oriented before the conference began — ensuring that everyone, from first-timers to long-time participants, felt encouraged and equipped to contribute to a culture of safety.
+**Safe environment** An updated [Code of Conduct](https://archives.scaladays.org/2025/code-of-conduct.html){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} and on-site expert support team were available throughout the event, and many attendees took the opportunity to learn more about these resources. Organizers and volunteers trained in advance, speakers received dedicated briefings, and all attendees were oriented before the conference began — ensuring that everyone, from first-timers to long-time participants, felt encouraged and equipped to contribute to a culture of safety.
 
 **Inclusive by design** Inclusion by design starts with infrastructure. This year we ensured full accessibility across the conference experience while continuing to invest in thoughtful, community-specific details: a quiet room, a tourist information point, and volunteers ready to assist. We also provided on-site childcare and encouraged participants to bring partners and families, making Scala Days a shared experience.
 
@@ -59,25 +62,25 @@ Your support keeps Scala Days thriving and the Scala community growing.
 
 ### 🌟 Platinum Sponsors
 
-[**VirtusLab**](https://virtuslab.com/) – *The company behind Scala.* VirtusLab showcased its long-standing commitment to the Scala ecosystem — from contributing to the language itself to developing key tools like Metals. Their focus on developer productivity, IDE and Bazel expertise, and LLM-assisted workflows reflects their 15+ years of leadership in Scala innovation.
+[**VirtusLab**](https://virtuslab.com/){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} – *The company behind Scala.* VirtusLab showcased its long-standing commitment to the Scala ecosystem — from contributing to the language itself to developing key tools like Metals. Their focus on developer productivity, IDE and Bazel expertise, and LLM-assisted workflows reflects their 15+ years of leadership in Scala innovation.
 
-[**Signify Technology**](https://www.signifytechnology.com/) – *Building a diverse future, one placement at a time.* As a global Scala recruitment specialist, Signify connects top-tier engineering talent with forward-thinking companies. With offices in LA, Austin, and London, they continue to champion diversity and inclusion in tech hiring worldwide.
+[**Signify Technology**](https://www.signifytechnology.com/){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} – *Building a diverse future, one placement at a time.* As a global Scala recruitment specialist, Signify connects top-tier engineering talent with forward-thinking companies. With offices in LA, Austin, and London, they continue to champion diversity and inclusion in tech hiring worldwide.
 
 ### 🥇 Gold Sponsors
 
-[**Gradle**](https://gradle.com/) – *Accelerate every Scala build.* Gradle’s **Develocity** platform now integrates with sbt to help teams observe, optimize, and speed up their builds — empowering faster feedback cycles and better developer experience.
+[**Gradle**](https://gradle.com/){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} – *Accelerate every Scala build.* Gradle’s **Develocity** platform now integrates with sbt to help teams observe, optimize, and speed up their builds — empowering faster feedback cycles and better developer experience.
 
-[**JetBrains**](https://jetbrains.com/) – *Coding smarter with AI.* Back at Scala Days with their signature energy, JetBrains invited attendees to explore new IntelliJ IDEA Scala Plugin features and all things developer productivity and AI-powered tooling.
+[**JetBrains**](https://jetbrains.com/){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} – *Coding smarter with AI.* Back at Scala Days with their signature energy, JetBrains invited attendees to explore new IntelliJ IDEA Scala Plugin features and all things developer productivity and AI-powered tooling.
 
-[**Scalac**](https://scalac.io/) – *Your Scala & AI engineering partner.* With 11 years of expertise and over 130 delivered projects, Scalac continues to champion open source, community growth, and global partnerships. They invite you to explore the latest trends shaping Scala’s future, check out their [State of Scala Report](https://scalac.io/state-of-scala-2025/)—a comprehensive look at the ecosystem’s direction, challenges, and opportunities ahead.
+[**Scalac**](https://scalac.io/){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} – *Your Scala & AI engineering partner.* With 11 years of expertise and over 130 delivered projects, Scalac continues to champion open source, community growth, and global partnerships. They invite you to explore the latest trends shaping Scala’s future, check out their [State of Scala Report](https://scalac.io/state-of-scala-2025/)—a comprehensive look at the ecosystem’s direction, challenges, and opportunities ahead.
 
-[**Writer**](https://writer.com/) – *Where AI meets business.* Writer showcased its agent-builder platform that bridges IT and business teams, offering tools to build, activate, and supervise enterprise AI agents — and invited Scala engineers to join their growing AI research and engineering efforts.
+[**Writer**](https://writer.com/){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} – *Where AI meets business.* Writer showcased its agent-builder platform that bridges IT and business teams, offering tools to build, activate, and supervise enterprise AI agents — and invited Scala engineers to join their growing AI research and engineering efforts.
 
-[**Xebia**](https://xebia.com/) – *Engineering excellence, powered by Scala and AI.* Xebia reignited its Scala community presence with demos, workshops, and hands-on sessions on event-sourced domain modeling and domain-driven design in Scala 3\.
+[**Xebia**](https://xebia.com/){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} – *Engineering excellence, powered by Scala and AI.* Xebia reignited its Scala community presence with demos, workshops, and hands-on sessions on event-sourced domain modeling and domain-driven design in Scala 3\.
 
 ### 🥈 Silver Sponsor
 
-[**Kpler**](https://www.kpler.com/) – *Scala powering data at scale.*For over a decade, Kpler has been building high-performance applications powered by the Scala ecosystem — leveraging its strong type system, functional programming paradigm, and thriving community. At Scala Days, they shared their journey and commitment to contributing back to the community.
+[**Kpler**](https://www.kpler.com/){:target="_blank" :rel="noopener"} – *Scala powering data at scale.*For over a decade, Kpler has been building high-performance applications powered by the Scala ecosystem — leveraging its strong type system, functional programming paradigm, and thriving community. At Scala Days, they shared their journey and commitment to contributing back to the community.
 
 ### 🥉 Bronze Sponsors